The present invention relates to a suspended sediment sampler and in particular to a suspended sediment sampler that can be tipped or inverted without losing the sample.
Sediment traps are well-known as an invaluable tool for collecting particulates found in water. Trapped particulates provide information on sediment levels, runoff changes and contaminants in a particular body of water or fluid that can be used for environmental and other studies and reports.
Known traps are generally large, expensive and cumbersome pieces of equipment adapted for deep sea sampling. There is a significant cost to deploying and retrieving these large traps, requiring lifting equipment and well trained personnel in careful use and calibration of the equipment. These traps are difficult to bring aboard and during the retrieval process the trap may be disturbed or tipped losing all or some of the sample contained therein. Some smaller rudimentary sediment traps are known but these are extremely vulnerable to loss of the sampled material due to tipping or inversion. The tipping or inversion may occur in rough weather or most commonly during retrieval.
Coastal waters, as compared to deep sea waters, have different challenges with tidal depth and access limitations, wave surge, poor fluid visibility, increased human interference, all increasing the risk of tipping and the loss of the sample. It is desirable to sample coastal waters and for there to be an easy, safe and efficient method of doing so.
The inventor sought to find a product, research or other information on alternative samplers to the deep sea sediment traps of which he was aware. He was unsuccessful in finding any suitable sampler, that was economic, robust and simple to produce and deploy, and that resists loss of the sampled material. In response to this identified need the inventor carefully researched means of producing a suspended sediment sampler that could be easily deployed and retrieved. Further, the inventor sought to develop a means of preserving the sample, even if the sampler was inverted during deployment or retrieval.
Through careful experimentation the inventor has developed a sediment sampler that is a significant improvement on known traps and will have numerous uses, for many different industries.
Throughout the specification and claims the invention is described with reference to sampling of suspended sediment in fluid. The invention can equally be used to sample other particulate matter and it is not intended that the invention be limited to use for sampling suspended sediment. For example, the invention may be used to sample any suitable particulate matter in a liquid, air, or other gas.
For clarity, any prior art referred to herein, does not constitute an admission that the prior art forms part of the common general knowledge, in Australia or elsewhere.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved sediment sampler that at least ameliorates one or more of the aforementioned problems of the prior art.